Avenue Q by the CCPA Alumni Company May 31-June 17 2017. A review. Avenue Q has been described as “Sesame Street for adults”. It’s easy to see why the show is attracting new audiences to the Performance Hall at the Canadian College of Performing Arts—loveable puppets (with the exception of the Gary Coleman puppet which was built locally by Pamela Stringer, the others are rented), catchy and audacious lyrics, upbeat choreography (Sarah Murphy), … [Read more...]
Born Yesterday at Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre May 30-June 11 2017. A review.
June 5, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Born Yesterday at Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre May 30-June 11 2017. A review. What felicitous and preternatural ability did Brian Richmond, Artistic Director of Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre, possess to program the never-more-topical Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin for the second production of the 2017 season? Harry Brock (Jacob Richmond) is a wealthy junk dealer, come to Washington in the hopes of making the deal of his career by bribing a … [Read more...]
Last Train In by Adam Grant-Warren. A review.
May 29, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Last Train In by Adam Grant-Warren. A review. An audience is often complicit in how a story is told—particularly for solo artists (on the Fringe circuit and elsewhere). Popular narratives sell tickets, thus engendering more popular narratives, ad infinitum. Love conquers all, coming of age, overcoming a challenge—these are some of the more common tropes. Equally popular is “person with a disability triumphs”. During the Diversity Panel … [Read more...]
Born Yesterday at Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre. Interview with costume designer Graham McMonagle.
May 26, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Born Yesterday at Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre. Interview with costume designer Graham McMonagle. Since 2014, costume designer Graham McMonagle has worked in close association with Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre, on Lagrimas Crueles (Cruel Tears) and Gaslight in 2014, Private Lives in 2015 and The Importance of Being Earnest in 2016. During this period, he also obtained his MFA from the University of Victoria where his designs were featured … [Read more...]
I’m Doing This For You by Haley McGee. Intrepid Theatre Uno Fest 2017. Review.
May 25, 2017 By Leave a Comment
I’m Doing This For You by Haley McGee. Intrepid Theatre Uno Fest 2017. Review. Underneath the winsome veneer and placating manner, Haley McGee’s character in the darkly disturbing (and oh-so-funny) I’m Doing This For You is brilliantly fragile, seesawing between conspiratorially recruiting the audience into her party plans, and despair as events swiftly go off the rails. From the outset, she’s the perfect hostess, seeking help with blowing … [Read more...]
4 1/2 (ig)noble truths by Thomas McKechnie at Intrepid Theatre Uno Fest 2017. A review.
May 19, 2017 By Leave a Comment
4 1/2 (ig)noble truths by Thomas McKechnie at Intrepid Theatre Uno Fest 2017. A review. Raw, chaotic, poetic—4 ½ (ig)noble truths by Thomas McKechie at the 20th annual UNO Fest gets under your skin and worms its way into your psyche with a never ending onslaught of words, thoughts and actions. The set design is meticulous—tall white pillars constructed of Coroplast, edged in blue, and a low table, each topped with a range of objects—a … [Read more...]
Small Town Hoser Spic at Intrepid Theatre Uno Fest 2017. Interview with Pedro Chamale and Derek Chan.
May 15, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Small Town Hoser Spic at Intrepid Theatre Uno Fest 2017. Interview with Pedro Chamale and Derek Chan. Derek Chan and Pedro Chamale are rice and beans theatre. What sparked the creation of this show? Is this Pedro’s first one person show? Derek: I’ll leave the spark of creation in regards to this specific piece to Pedro, but in general, a lot of our work comes from bouncing ideas back and forth between the two of us. Even outside of … [Read more...]
The Secrets of Naming Clouds Intrepid Theatre Uno Fest 2017. Interview with Kerri Flanagan.
May 8, 2017 By Leave a Comment
The Secrets of Naming Clouds Intrepid Theatre Uno Fest 2017. Interview with Kerri Flanagan. What sparked the creation of this show? I heard a radio program about a symbol-based language, Blissymbols, and the utopic inspirations of the man, Charles Bliss, who created this language. Growing up in my family we used a symbol-based language to communicate with my sibling, Heather, who mostly communicates non-verbally. I heard this radio program … [Read more...]
Vino Buono presents The Fitting Room and Snowfrog May 10-12 2017. Interview with Kat Taddei
May 8, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Vino Buono presents The Fitting Room and Snowfrog May 10-12 2017. Interview with Kat Taddei Founded in 2016, Vino Buono Productions is one of Victoria's newest theatre companies; artistic director Kat Taddei was kind enough to answer a few question about their first season, and about their upcoming double bill. Can you speak to your inaugural season choices—why did you choose The Fitting Room and Snowfrog? These are two pieces of new … [Read more...]
Jocasta Regina by Nancy Huston at Theatre Inconnu May 2-20, 2017. A review.
May 5, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Jocasta Regina by Nancy Huston at Theatre Inconnu May 2-20, 2017. A review. Wendy Magahay (Jocasta) and Monty Bjornson (Oedipus) light up the stage with their sexy frolicking in Jocasta Regina, Nancy Huston’s female-centric retelling of the Oedipus myth, currently at Theatre Inconnu until May 20th. Not in recent memory has there been such a passionate, believable, down-to-earth depiction of a fervent long-term loving marriage. The fact that … [Read more...]
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